Happily, Ever After-Tennis Still Busy After All These Years

by Tom Cascarano - USPTA Elite Professional, Hall of Fame

After being in the Tennis business for over 49 years, working as a Director of Tennis 45 years and at the same club (Greensboro Country Club) for 30 years, I felt it was time for me to step away from tennis and retire.

Before retiring I thought it would be good to talk to other retirees from all different types of business backgrounds to get their perspective on what to expect from retirement. The same comments kept coming up which were; keep yourself mentality and physically active, make time for your extended family (grandchildren) and take an extended vacation away from home.

I took their advice and after retirement my wife and I took 2 vacations (1 week each - beach and mountains) which really helped me disconnect from the day-today workload. We also spent quality time with our family (children and grandchildren).

Once I finished my vacation and family time, I knew it was important for me to stay active, but where do I start? It didn’t take me long to come up with the idea of a second career with the fastest growing sport in the country at my fingertips, why not consider certifying as a USPTA pickleball professional with the opportunity to teach pickleball and still be retired. I went to the Southern USPTA Convention where the certification was being held and certified (what a blast). Once certified I let local pros and clubs be aware of my certification status and bumped into a Tennis Director from the Lake Jeanette Swim and Tennis Club (he used to be one of my assistants-Toby Curtis) and his first question was would you like to be my Pickleball Professional part time. Without much hesitation I agreed.

Teaching pickleball happens to be a great sport to be involved in without having the grind of being a Tennis Director. It has been a great change for me, but I still felt I was missing something about tennis. In the earlier days of my tennis career, I dealt with high performance players and wondered how could I reconnect back into that type of tennis without the long hours of teaching.

After some research I realized I could certify as both a USTA official and ITA official, having the opportunity to return to involvement with my high-performance players. There is a dire need for tennis officials and a chance for me to fill that void, so I took all the certifications required for both the USTA and ITA officiating.

Being an official gives me the chance to fulfill that tennis need and I now feel I have purpose to what I was missing in my retired life. Living in North Carolina with so many men and women college tennis teams and the ACC in my backyard, I have officiated numerous quality college matches and will be able to do this for years to come. Add the opportunities to officiate USTA junior tournaments, it is so fulfilling as I get a chance to give back to the game I have loved.

I have accomplished so much throughout my past tennis career and now with starting a new part of my life, retirement has given me options I never thought of or considered. Teaching pickleball and tennis officiating has now given me a pathway to my retired life and a chance to stay connected to activities I love.

If you are considering retirement and concerned about what may come after tennis, I can tell you there are many options to stay connected to the sport we all love while still having your freedom of retirement.

Remember: Retirement is not the end; it is a Beginning of new ventures in whatever you are looking for.

MY MOTTO: Stay Active, Take Vacations and Make time for Family

RETIREMENT IS THE BEST

•Don’t miss out on this amazing event this year at one of Atlanta’s BEST clubs.

•Featuring Walker Sahag and Feisal Hassan

•Awards and Hall of Fame moved to Friday again this year

•Trade show on Saturday

•Neat attendee gifts

•3 meals included + breakfast at the hotel

•USPTA Pickleball certification on Sunday morning (separate registration –limited spaces)

•Network, learn, play tennis, and leave charged for your summer programs

Host Hotel: FairField Inn, Perimeter Mall area, 1145 Hammond Drive Northeast Atlanta, Georgia 30328

 $120/king or $130/queens

 Book online to receive the group rate. The link will be on usptasouthern.com

 Room block released after 4/26 - so reserve early

Convention Price:

• $135 Early Registration by May 7th, $150 Full Registration

• New Certified Member since May 2022 - $25

• Non USPTA Member $160

• One day only $90

 Spouse $75 by 5/7, Full price $90 (no gift or ed credit)

 Register and pay online at USPTA.com (not active yet). Watch usptasouthern.com for up to date information.